O escopo do crime de genocídio: considerações epistemológicas sobre os massacres

Abstract

The criminalization of genocide represents an important step by the international community in the protection of human rights; however its classification as a criminal offense was a result of international politics, meaning that certain types of massacre were included in the definition, while others were excluded. The concept of genocide has thus always generated debate. This article moves beyond the simple legal definition of genocide, providing several contributions from the social sciences for an epistemological review of the concept of genocide, in the hope of better preventing the massacres affecting civil populations around the world. Thoughts are offered on massacres based on the works of Wayne Morrison and Jacques Semelin, with criminological support from Eugenio Raul Zaffaroni.